DVIDS – News – 2ABCT 1AD celebrates 80th anniversary of Allied landing in Italy

NETTUNO, Italy – One of the fiercest and bloodiest campaigns experienced by the U.S. Army during World War II, the Battle of Anzio Nettuno will forever remain infamous in the annual annals of military history. The 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, known as Combat Command Bravo in 1944, owes its pride and honorable lineage of battle to the soldiers who fought bravely on this beachhead.

Combat Command Bravo survives harsh battles in North Africa. [2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team]transformed into a war veteran to help defeat the infamous Afrika Korps, and regrouped to help defeat Italian and German Axis forces at the Anzio Nettuno beachhead.

Brad Craver, a resident of Thomasville, North Carolina, traveled to Nettuno, Italy, to attend the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings commemorating his late father, Sergeant Johnson. Joe D. Craver, an infantryman with the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry, who fought in the Battle of Anzio.

Regarding his father’s account of the war, he says: “He talked about the incident with the man. [soldiers] They were killed just a few steps away from him,” Craver said. First-hand accounts, such as that of Claver’s father, encapsulate the lasting impact of the American military’s heroic efforts at the Battle of Azunio Nettuno.

In the early morning hours of January 22, 1944, Bravo Combat Command landed at X-Ray Beach, Nettuno, Italy, as part of Operation Shingle. The Allied plan was to quickly advance and occupy Rome, but German reinforcements stalled the advance and the stalemate continued until mid-May.

On May 23, the 1st Armored Division led the Allied breakthrough from the beachhead and became part of the Liberation Army that entered Rome and defeated the German forces on June 4, 1944.

“Their echoes echo through time, reminding us of the price we paid for freedom and the enduring legacy of the Allied Forces,” said Dwight D., commander, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division.・Colonel Domengaard emphasized. “Today we remember those who served and sacrificed during those difficult days.”

The infamous Allied landings at Normandy (Operation Overlord) are often overshadowed in history by the Battle of Anzio. But its impact cannot be underestimated. On June 5, 1944, Allied forces captured Rome, effectively ending the Battle of Anzio and further liberating the Italian peninsula from Axis oppression. The details of the bloody battles that took place in the Italian countryside over the past few months are some of the bloodiest of World War II.

The 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team maintains many combat-capable units in Europe. It exists to deter attacks. If deterrence fails, we will stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies and partners against that aggression. The 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, is forward deployed to Europe in support of the V Corps, 3rd Infantry Division at Droszko Combat Training Center, Poland.